I swear, if I hear one more news commentator utter the phrase “nappy-headed hos”, I’m going to jump off a bridge. (Especially you, Shepard Smith!) It is like the cable news networks have been given a license to become copy-cat criminals and are just finding ways to incorporate the phrase into every news story.

CNN BREAKING NEWS: “Nancy Pelosi refused to meet President Bush on Iraq funding because she is reportedly upset that Don Imus said “nappy-headed hos.”

I have never liked Don Imus and obviously his comments were stupid, racist and way over the top. But I also think the reaction to his comments are way over the top and border on hysteria.

– The Rutgers team says they were deeply hurt by Imus’ comments. One player said today… “The Rutgers University women’s basketball team has made history. We haven’t done anything to deserve this controversy, and yet it has taken a toll on us mentally and physically.”

I hate to tell her, but if she is this drained by what a shock jock said about her…. she’s in for a very sensitive life in the real world. (And I hope she isn’t watching any news coverage which repeatedly uses the phrase 24/7.)

Don Imus should probably be fired. I do agree with Sharpton that he most likely violated FCC guidelines. So let’s be done with it. Fire the old coot. I’m just tired of hearing about it!

Let’s move on to more important news. Larry Birkhead is the daddy! *sarcasm off*

In a comment to a previous post, Gene in Pennsylvania wrote that he was eager to see a “GP post on Imus.” Perhaps Bruce will weigh in with some thoughts of his own, but I hardly think the hullabaloo merits as much media attention as it’s getting.

Radio host Don Imus said some pretty offensive things about the Rutgers women’s basketball team “which includes eight black women.” After he apologized to Al Sharpton (what the #!@$&* was he doing apologizing to that charlatan?), the grandstanding reverend “called it ‘too little, too late’.” Imus’s show will be suspended for two weeks.

I didn’t think I’d post on this until I read Roger Simon’s post on the topic. His thoughts are similar to my own:

No more tedious individuals exist on our national landscape, although they are in a certain sense exemplary. They represent the triumph of narcissism over intelligent discourse in close to its purest form. No idea or thought exists free of how it affects them — their fame, their glory and, ultimately, their cash.

One of the things which struck me about the MSM’s coverage of the fourth anniversary of the liberation of Baghdad this weekend was their focus on the failures and the rhetoric of America’s opponents. AOL lead its coverage with an article on Shiite protesters marching to demand that the U.S. leave Iraq while exaggerating their number (that post on exaggeration via Instapundit).

While the MSM heralded this protest despite its smaller-than-expected turnout as if it were some sign of growing anti-American sentiment in Iraq, the Multi-National Force noted something the media neglected — that Iraqis are free to oppose their government –something they could not do just over four years ago:

During the era of Saddam Hussein the people could not voice their opinions or freely express how they felt about the government. This changed in Dec. 2005 when millions of Iraqis voted for a democratic future during their general election of a new government.

(Via Gateway Pundit.) The left may be wedded to their dark visions of an imperialistic America, but, the citizens of a nation occupied by American troops can protest their presence.

While the MSM headlines its post by referencing radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as just a cleric, it buries the adjective (“radical“) in its article, burying as well the words of the Democrats’ 2000 Vice-Presidential nominee. Senator Joseph Lieberman noted that al-Sadr’s words show that “the surge is working.” One sign of that success is that that unhappy cleric is nowhere to be found.

The Connecticut Independent Democrat is not the only Senator to note the successes in Iraq. The senior Senator from the Grand Canyon State entitled his Sunday Op-ed, “The War You’re Not Reading About.” Senator McCain wrote:

The new political-military strategy is beginning to show results. But most Americans are not aware because much of the media are not reporting it or devote far more attention to car bombs and mortar attacks that reveal little about the strategic direction of the war. I am not saying that bad news should not be reported or that horrific terrorist attacks are not newsworthy. But news coverage should also include evidence of progress.

It’s unfortunate that the MSM has decided to dwell on the bad news — and the words of an angry cleric because the surge has shown real signs of progress. Perhaps Americans might have a more favorable opinion of the war in Iraq if the MSM presented a more accurate picture of the situation on the ground.

Looks like both Bruce and I have been quite busy these past few days so we haven’t been able to update the blog. I have a lot of little things to get done today, but should manage to find some time to post later this afternoon. Until then, I’m sure our commenters will have something to say — as some of you don’t need our words to launch into angry diatribes against Republicans.